Of Love and War
by yvj
Summary: War never changes. But it can change your perspective on a few things especially a certain teammate.
1. Chapter 1

A/N This story was a request from DbKiT ( u/491457/DbKiT) a fellow fanfic author and overall odd individual. If you happen to be a Hinata fan she has an interesting story of her own named Find Your Center which is pretty kewl

First time writing so heavily for Kiba and Hinata so I ask for your mercy.

* * *

Kiba had been taught a lot about war. The elders of his clan had shared their experiences with him, his team leader and his professors had told him what to expect. All of them had stories and or warnings about what they had seen, what he would likely see, what they had heard, what he would likely hear, how they had felt, how he would probably feel.

No one ever mentioned the smell. Anger pours along with sweat from the pores drenching clothes, fear can be revealed in the breath of a man whose stomach has gone sour. But at the moment above all these things Kiba simply smelled death. For most of his young life he had gotten the faintest waft of this odor but now it was all around. It was hot, powerful, he did not smell it as much as it invaded his nostrils, choking him with his own breath, misting his eyes and causing a pounding in his head that seemed like it would go on and on.

Ironically it was a Zetsu slashing at his shoulder that brought back his focus. Rage flooded Kiba's thoughts stopping the stampede in his head, fury propelled his body forward and instinctively he initiated the passing fang. In moments various pieces of the Zetus' body were sent flying into the air. Kiba landed on his four feet breathing heavily and distinctly aware of his surroundings.

A charging horde of Zetsu suddenly crashed through the southeastern gate of their camp and slammed into a group of Alliance Shinobi.

It contributed greatly to the current environment of pure chaos.

Drawing in air, Kiba let the beginnings of rage flow freely; the battle around him seemed to slow down. Everyone was fighting or dying in slow motion. Akamaru fresh from pinning down and tearing at the pale throat of his enemy was slowly bounding towards him. His fur matted in blood.

Shino was a few yards away, his jacket torn and his glasses falling from his face. For the first time ever Kiba caught the beginning of fear and doubt in the eyes of his usually cool and level-headed friend. Hinata he couldn't sense at all, all he heard was screams of pain and shouts of anger, all he saw was chaos, all he smelled was death.

Zetsu continued pouring into the camp and Kiba wondered quite sadly if the Hyuga was already dead. It left a sour taste in his mouth that only worsened when the reality of his situation came to him. They were all dead; the Zetsu had surrounded the camp, caught them by surprise, and now they were completely outnumbered, trapped in a certified kill zone. He himself had been wounded, not fatally, but it caused him a tremendous amount of pain. The Zetsu were killing him, but worse of all they were killing all his friends.

Weakened, maddened into fury, Kiba allowed a violent anger to wash over. He embraced a rage and bitterness he had never experienced before as blood lust passed hot through his veins.

"Come on Akamaru" he shouted out when his canine partner appeared by his side. "Fang Passing Fang!'

Kiba and Akamaru began to spin at fantastic speeds becoming twin tornadoes of fury slashing through ranks of invading Zetsu clones.

_Well if I'm going to die, I'm going to take a bunch of them with me._

The one clear vanity of the Hyuga clan is that they took great stock in the appearance of their hair. They used all manner of flowers, perfumes and other herbs in their bathing water to keep their hair luxurious and strong. To Kiba they generally walked around smelling like bags of tea.

It was a single whiff of honeyed tea which had somehow cut through the air of death that broke Kiba out of his rotation. He only knew of one Hyuga who used an extra dosage of honey in her bath.

_Hinata, she's alive!_

Rage and pain were pushed immediately from Kiba's mind. His adrenaline did not peter but an unexpected sense of calm came over him as he let the knowledge of his friend being alive settle in. Hinata had been always been the sensitive one in their group, soft hearted and timid. He and Shino might have accepted their doom but she…she would fight but…it would be hard on her. He had the sudden urge to be by her side, to tell her that it was ok, that it was fine for them to stand shoulder to shoulder and face death as proud shinobi of the Leaf.

_Where are you?_

He heard her voice before he saw her. He noticed as he spun toward the direction it came from that it lacked the hesitation and softness he had anticipated.

"Fight everyone, keep fighting!"

Kiba's eyes landed on her as she was slowly being encircled by a group of Zetsu.

"Don't fight for your lives, fight for your friends, fight for your villages" she said to no one in particular.

Kiba watched her curiously. Her voice was thunder, her hands were bright with chakra as they often did when she used twin lion fists but they didn't match the intensity in her eyes, those simply burned and burned and burned.

_Hinata…? _

A Zetsu lunged at her; she sidestepped the clone and rammed her palm through the enemy blowing its chest out through the back. Another sprang at her back as if completely ignorant of the Hyuga's special vision. Hinata timed it perfectly, when the Zetsu was close enough to breathe upon her she spun on her heels striking her enemy with a chakra infused back hand that blew its head right off its shoulders.

"Don't give up! Don't fight for yourselves, fight for your villages, for your friends and families!" She shouted while charging towards a group of Zetsu.

Kiba took a step forward and stumbled weakly. He gathered himself and caught another glimpse of Hinata right before she launched into the revolving heaven technique; somehow it seemed to him that she had been glowing before being engulfed in the barrier of chakra.

_Who?….is this who you've always been Hinata? _

Before anyone could give him a sensible answer to his question, Kiba succumbed to his injuries and passed out.

XXXXXXXXXX

His eyes fluttered open to the sight of his sister Hana.

"Hey pup" she said sweeping her hand through his hair. 'Welcome back."

Sitting up quickly, Kiba asked. "I'm not dead?"

"Would I do this to a dead person?" Hana reached out and pinched her brother's cheek.

"Owwww" Kiba batted her hand away and massaged his cheek.

"No you're not in the world of the dead little brother. You're in the medical tent.

A quick glance at the moaning bandaged shinobi all around him confirmed his sister's words. Kiba reached for his right shoulder.

"Don't worry, you lost blood but it wasn't that deep of a wound. You'll be back in fighting shape in no time."

"Did you heal me?"

Hana folded her arms over her chest. "Why do you sound surprised? I may specialize in veterinary medicine but I am a medic nin."

Kiba shook his head. "It's not…I. Didn't"

He suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

"Well I'll take that as a thank you. I also expect a thank you from him." Hana pointed to the left side of his bed.

Kiba leaned over the edge to see Akamaru resting soundly beside his bed. The canine's breathing seemed a bit labored but the blood had been cleaned from his fur and there were no visible signs of any of his wounds.

"Let me thank you for the both of us." Kiba declared as he gently patted his loyal partner.

Hana nodded to herself. "That's better. Little brothers should be more grateful to their older sisters.

"Hey Han' what happened? We were out outnumbered weren't we?"

"Uzumaki Naruto happened" she said simply.

Kiba turned to her. "Naruto?"

'That's right" she said looking off into the distance, as if trying to remember as much as she could. "He came in wearing a cloak of chakra; or rather one of his bunshins came in wearing a cloak of chakra. Turned the tide of the battle really."

Kiba couldn't help but smile.

_That bastard he just keeps getting stronger and stronger. _

Naruto was on his way to being a living legend already but Kiba did not find a trace of jealousy within him. He was quite proud to see the success of one of his classmates and a good friend. Still Kiba wouldn't give up the title of Hokage without a rematch, no matter how legendary his classmate got. Though a rematch assumed they all survived this war.

"Your team has been worried I'll let them know you're awake. They will probably come see you right away so you might want to take the time to wash your face because it's quite filthy."

"You know you're starting to sound like mom in your old age" Kiba sighed.

Hana belted her brother across the head

"I'm already injured dammit!" Kiba groaned as he rubbed down the bump on his head.

"Not injured enough apparently!"

She began to walk away but Kiba grabbed at her shoulder. 'Don't tell anyone I'm aware yet. I want some time to myself, so I can think."

"Think? Since when do you think?" She chortled, though concern eventually spread across her face.

"Hey I think about all kinds of things all the time!" Kiba replied defensively.

Hana found a spot on the edge of his bed. "What do you have to think about?"

"Oh I don't know maybe the war! Duh! You're such a dumb ass sometimes Hana."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "So…What do you think about the war?"

The softness in her voice disarmed him. He wasn't sure what he thought about the war, which was the exact reason why he needed some time to think about it.

"I…This…See there's nothing like pushing yourself to your limits Hana. And maybe even beyond them. It make you feel like you're alive. But in war, well I've never been in any other war, so in this war, and I know it's only been a few days but…I constantly feel like that, like, I'm being pushed to my limits."

"Well little brother is that a bad or a good thing?"

"I don't know….I feel….I don't think I like it." Kiba scratched at the back of his head. "I think I almost lost myself today."

Hana caught her brother's gaze. "What happened?"

'"I don't know' he diverted his eyes from hers. "I was angry, it was weird. Anyway there was something else that was weird. When I losing myself it was Hinata who brought me out of it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, well she didn't really do it directly. At first I just smelled her and y'know of course she smelled so much better than the smells I was getting from the battle…obviously…and then I was so happy she was alive it kinda…it kinda calmed me a little."

"Did it now?"

He gestured at his throat, "Yeah but my heart was kind of like up here. I've never um, I've never felt that before."

"Go on" Hana said with a smirk.

"Then I saw her and she was fighting. And I wanted to fight with her, but I couldn't move, sure I was feeling really, really, weak, but it wasn't that. I just wanted to watch her and um…"

Kiba looked up to see his sister with a grin that ran from ear to ear.

"She was um…"

He once again found himself speechless.

'She was um….she was beautiful." He coughed. "But you know the whole thing was just weird…I was losing blood and I…..I just need some time to think."

Hana placed her hand under her chin as if she were lost in thought. "Hmmm perhaps it's time for the pup to be neutered."

"I have no idea what you're talking about Hana."

"Oh never mind that" Hana chuckled. She rose from the bed and gave her brother a light kiss on the top of the head.

"Take some time to think little brother. But don't think too hard, you're not used to it so you might hurt yourself."

She then left Kiba muttering sibling themed obscenities in her wake. When he was sure his sister was gone for good Kiba laid back down with his hands folded beneath his head. He had much to consider but there was some truth to his sister's teasing. He wasn't like Shino, a calculating analytic kind of guy who stepped back and waited for things to happen. Kiba usually did what felt right by him whenever the opportunity arose.

Besides what exactly did he need to calculate anyway? OK he didn't enjoy the war, who did? That was normal right? He hadn't come in expecting it to be a field trip. Still…the smell lingered with him. Would it ever leave him? And the anger he had felt, it's what kept him alive, but there was something about it that he couldn't put his finger on.

When people said he was short-tempered, if in a good mood, Kiba might have agreed with them, but what he felt on the battlefield had not been his normal anger, it was something much darker. He tapped into a blood lust that he was surprised he had, if he continued the nonstop hectic battles in this war would he need to depend on that kind of strength? He had to keep fighting right? The war wasn't ending tomorrow and it was his duty.

Then there was Hinata.

Again his sister was kinda right; he wasn't much of a thinker because he couldn't keep focus. He would think about the war for some time and then his Hyuga teammate would sneak into thoughts. Like some kind of…mental ninja…..He had to admit she looked pretty cool out there. He had always sort of known she had it in here to be like that, but still it was something else to see it with his own two eyes.

And he hadn't been lying when he said she looked beautiful.

It was strange; thinking about the war depressed him. Thinking about Hinata did quite the opposite.

* * *

Well that's part 1 hope you're enjoying it so far.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N So onto the conclusion!

* * *

"So what do you think about the Leaf?"

"After their Hokage it's a massive drop off. I mean average to ugly looking women at best. They've got nothing on Cloud."

Kiba's ears perked up as the muttering from the other shinobi in the tent reached his ears.

"You notice how many of their women are medics? What's the deal with that?"

Quietly Kiba slipped out of bed and started walking towards the voices.

"Oi who has the balls to talk about my village while I'm in the room?" Kiba asked when he stepped right in the middle of two conversing Kumogakure shinobi.

"Hey relax friend, we're just having some fun." Said the cloud shinobi to Kiba's left.

A grin spread on the face of the shinobi on his right "Hey Konohagakure women are still a lot better than the beasts from Iwagakure."

_Ok just a bunch of idiots I don't need to waste time on this._

Kiba turned away but the shinobi to his right put his hands on his shoulder. "Wait a second now maybe we weren't being fair. We did forget about the Hyuga heir counting for the Leaf. She's no Tsunade—

"But she's still stacked" The shinobi to Kiba's left added. "They're sitting on her chest like they're reaching up to pull down her face."

The shinobi on the right continued. "I wouldn't mind using those as pillows tonight if you know what I mean."

Kiba sucked deep breath, before facing the shinobi on his right.

"We need a medic over here; this guy has a broken jaw!"

"Jaw" the Cloud shinobi said bewildered. "It's my ankle that's hurt—"

The Cloud ninja was interrupted by Kiba's fist slamming into his face. He hit the floor as Kiba moved towards his partner. Kiba grabbed the shinobi by the collar and drew him into a powerful head-butt. His satisfaction at watching the two shinobi writhe on the ground lasted for a few scant moments. Without any warning Kitsuchi the commander of the second division abruptly entered the medical tent.

"What's going on here?"

"Umm friendly spar?" Kiba blurted.

"Sparring, during a war?"

"Gotta keep focus right?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kitsuchi had a few Jonin officers lecture Kiba on discipline for about an hour and change. Then he was made to apologize, after that, they lectured him again. When Kiba finally thought the lectures were winding down, they hit him with an offer he hadn't expected.

If such an offer had come to Kiba a week ago he would have flat out refused it, in fact he would have been insulted. But now he had reason to pause and consider. He found that his heart said one thing and his mind another. He needed time to think about it, so the officers gave him by the end of the day to decide. Head down, shoulders slumped, Kiba stepped out of the officer's tent to find Akamaru and his teammates waiting for him.

Looking concerned Hinata stepped forward. "What happened in there?"

Kiba straightened up and patted his chest. "You're looking at the first guy ever to get reprimanded for fighting during a war."

Hinata shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand."

Kiba waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Eh some jerks needed an attitude adjustment that's all."

"I see you are well." Shino said from behind Hinata.

Kiba rolled his shoulders as if warming up for another fight. "Pfff a Zetsu scratches like a cat. I'm almost half curious to see if they can put up more of a fight."

"Hmmm they say curiosity conquers fear even more than bravery will."

"They also say "beat their ass, before they beat yours."

Slowly but surely a smile formed on Shino's face. "They…do say that I suppose. It's must be nice to have such a rowdy attitude even in these trying times."

With that said Shino stuffed his hands in his pocket and started to stroll away.

"That's it? Shino we came over to be supportive remember?"

"He seems fine to me Hinata" Shino said without turning around.

Chuckling Kiba stepped up beside Hinata. "Let him go, he's a man of few words. And we both know that we should just appreciate the few he gives us."

"Still" she frowned.

"Listen I get him. Guys don't need to say much to get their feelings across. Unlike girls who are way more dramatic and expressive."

"Is that so?" Hinata remarked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Yeah like if there's a guy they like, some girls might try a head on attack against an evil shinobi who can blow up villages with ease."

This brought a half smile and a tinge of embarrassment red to Hinata's face. "Ok maybe there is some truth to what you're saying."

"'Maybe?" Kiba countered.

"Since we're on the topic it was Naruto who saved us you know. Well it was Naruto's clone anyway.""

"I heard. Was it a dynamic entry?"

"It certainly was. For a second there I thought I was done and then boom there he was."

Kiba licked his lips. "Listen; don't think I'm not grateful about that. I was just teasing about the Naruto and Pain thing."

"I know Kiba." Hinata eyed him curiously before swiftly wrapping her arms around him tight. "Hey is this dramatic enough to get my feelings across?"

"Hey come on this is embarrassing!" Kiba cried out while squirming in her grasps.

"What do you say, is this girl expressive enough for you Kiba?"

The more Kiba attempted to fight her off the tighter she made her hold on him.

"OK! I get it you were worried about me!"

'Good. I'm glad you're OK."

Kiba stopped fighting her and simply settled into the embrace. A wave of warmth came over his cheeks when he got another sniff of honey tea.

"I'm glad you smell so good."

Hinata looked up into Kiba's face. "What?"

"The food from the kitchen sure smells good."

"I thought you hated the food the army served?"

"Not when I'm hungry" Kiba said averting his gaze. He gestured with his head towards the general direction of the kitchen area. "You want to grab something to eat with me?"

"Sure" she stated with a smile.

And his heart skipped a beat.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were but a few moments away from the kitchen area when Kiba started thinking "out loud" without even realizing it.

"You're kind of a strange chick Hinata."

"Excuse me?" she said turning her head towards him.

Not knowing how to backtrack out of such a statement Kiba simply surrendered a filtered version of his thoughts as they walked along.

"I mean a few days before you leaped in front of Pain I was there with you when a movie about animals in the wild made you cry. During this recent battle you were breaking off Zetsu like some kind of hardened badass but a minute ago you were giving me a bear hug with misty eyes."

"You thought I was a badass?" Hinata asked with glowing eyes.

"Yeah" Kiba cleared his throat. "Well badass for you anyway…"

"That makes me really happy." She said returning her gaze forward.

Kiba scratched at his reddened cheeks. "You see, you saying stuff like that makes you sound like a like a little girl! You're supposed to say stuff like "I'm a badass even when you're not looking kiba" something cool like that!"

Hinata sighed. "Why are you upset about? Am I not supposed to take your compliment?"

"I'm not upset! And it's not a big deal, it's just an observation."

"Hmmm, well it's one that I really appreciate."

Visibly frustrated Kiba scratched at his hair. "Listen all I'm saying is that I've noticed how much you've changed."

Hinata turned and studied her teammate for a moment. "Do you see that as a bad thing?"

"Well are you doing what you feel is right?"

"I am."

"Then it's not a bad thing."

They walked a little further in silence before Kiba spoke up once again.

"You really like Naruto don't you?"

"I do."

"He inspires you and stuff right? You've changed because of Naruto."

She nodded. "Partially though admittedly it's a big part. Some of it is due to Naruto and some of it is due to me needing to change."

Kiba leaned over to scratch Akamaru behind the ear. "So you—are you afraid that Naruto won't like you back?"

Hinata stopped in her tracks. "Are you OK? Did Hana mention anything about you needing rest?"

Kiba glanced around anxiously as if he had just been caught stealing. "What, what's wrong?"

"Kiba you hate talking about emotion, feelings, and stuff like that."

"Who told you that?"

"You did, possibly a thousand times over the course of the time I've known you."

The Inuzuka clan member threw his hands in the air. "Oh wait so you're the only one who can change. I almost died; maybe the war has me thinking differently about things."

"Thinking?"

"Oh come on! Why is everyone acting like I'm not a thinker? Am I not allowed to think once in a while?"

Rolling her eyes Hinata placed her hands up to her chest. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just curious about what you might have been thinking about."

"Well how about this they offered to take me off the front lines." Kiba declared as pointed his thumb back towards the officer's tent.

"Because of the fight they think—-you know sometimes the war can get to people's heads—that's what they said, so they told me if I wanted to stay back and guard the injured while the main forces moved out I could."

Hinata shook heard her head. "Why would you want to? I mean not to demean those who will be staying behind but—"

"I'm considering it" Kiba interrupted. "It might not be such a bad thing."

Hinata stared at Kiba with a bemused expression on her face. "Why?"

Somehow the softness of her voice delighted and irritated him.

"Because…."

"Kiba you're strong."

"Yeah I know that. I'm not on par with Naruto yet but—"

"And you're tough."

He nodded. "That's true also. Listen I know this is all probably hard to understand since I was about as gung ho as anyone else to prove myself in this war."

"You don't have to prove anything to anyone Kiba. However you're right I don't understand, maybe if you can explain it to me?"

"I'm afraid" he sighed, heavily.

"Afraid of dying?"

"No, not that." He ran his right hand along his chin.

"I think I'm afraid of myself. I don't know how to explain it. OK maybe I'm being dramatic but you got your Sasukes, the Itachis, the Kabutos and Orochimarus of the world and these guys, it wasn't about strong or weak, they gave into something within themselves. I think I saw a little bit of that same stuff in me during the battle. To survive this war, I might have to go to that dark place. I might need that dark place. I don't like the idea of depending on it, the possibility giving in to it."

Catching his breath Kiba glanced up at Hinata but she only studied his form wordlessly. Unable to bear the silence and her gaze he continued the walk.

"I guess that makes me sound like a coward."

She quickly caught up with him. "It's your decision whether to march out with us or not. Whatever you decide I will respect it. But if you do decide to go with us…..I promise I will do my best to protect you."

"What?! I just said it's not dying that I'm afraid of!"

Kiba increased his pace, but Hinata kept up. They walked shoulder to shoulder now.

"I will protect you from the enemy and from yourself."

Kiba snorted, "And how will you that?"

Before he could even react she reached over and placed a hand against his cheek. Kiba's heartbeat quickened almost immediately. He was no raition user but it felt as though electricity were running through his veins.

"Kiba, I know you, I am proud to be your teammate. I know you are a good person with a kind heart."

She removed her hand from his face as quickly as she had placed it there.

"That is how I will protect you from yourself. And that's really all I'm going to need, the rest I'm sure you'll be able to handle."

Kiba's gaze fell to the ground. "Dummy, it's the guy who is supposed to protect the girl…." he muttered under his breath.

'What's that?"

"Nothing I was just…forget it, let's talk about something else." He muttered under his breath.

"OK but to answer your earlier question. No I'm not afraid, though leaping in front of Pain might not have been the smartest move in hindsight, like you said I'm doing what I feel is right. I'm following my nindo, and it was never promised that my nindo or any other way of life would keep me from getting hurt. But it's the way I've chosen and I'm going to see it through. Whatever happens next is mine to accept with all my heart."

"I see." Kiba said.

For a moment silence reigned.

"Hey Hinata how do you know when you're in love?"

She stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious?"

Kiba's defensive mode kicked into high gear. "What?! It's a simple question! I'm curious, just answer it"

"OK, ok, ummm well….well sometimes if the person you have an affection for pops up unexpectedly or does something unexpectedly for you well it's like lightning hitting your heart. But in a good way."

"Uh-huh"

Hinata placed her hand over her heart. "Another thing about the heart is that when you're around the person, it can jump right up into your throat."

"O-oh really?" Kiba sputtered.

"Yeah then it's hard to speak."

"That makes sense."

"You feel warm, safe, protected when you're around someone you love. They make you want to be great, and sometimes when you look at them they glow, they glow brighter than the sun."

"Brighter than the sun" Kiba repeated.

"Yeah."

"And there's no way to stop it from happening huh?"

Hinata shrugged. "Who are we Kiba to tell fate where it's supposed to go?"

"Good point."

"Hey Kiba."

'Yeah?"

"I think we passed the kitchen a while ago."

Stopping himself Kiba looked around to find that Hinata was right. "Well I'm not really hungry anymore. Actually I'm going to go and think about some more stuff."

Hinata nodded. "Sure."

"Let's go Akamaru."

Kiba started to turn away but stopped himself, "tell Shino if I see him crying on the battlefield again I'm going to smack him."

"Um…OK."

He started to walk away but stopped again. He turned to her. "No wait don't warn him. I'm just going to smack sense into him the next time I see him doing that. The smack will be its own warning."

With that he spun on his heels and started off.

She called out after him. "Does this mean ….?

He interrupted her with his third sudden turn. "Hey, thanks for talking to me."

She sighed happily. "No problem."

"Come on Akamaru."

She expected him to turn around for a fourth time so she waited until he was out of sight just to be sure.

XXXXXXX

_Brighter than the sun…We can both glow though, you can be my strength, and we can be together like stars, both of us, brighter than the sun_

"We're moving out." A familiar voice stated.

Kiba looked up from his supplies to see his sister.

"How are you feeling pup?"

He smiled as he slipped a few items into his pockets. "Like a future Hokage in the making"

"Good."

Hana made a move to the exit of Kiba's tent but he called out to her. "Hana, can I ask you a personal question?"

"A personal question?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah but it's a little embarrassing."

Hana's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I knew this day would come. You're going to ask me about sex aren't you?"

"No! I mean why would I?!"

"Because it's OK to ask, it's only natural to be curious."

"You've it got all wrong!"

"First you have to be smart you should always carry protec—"

"Stop it Han! Just shut up! I want to ask-if you've ever really liked someone who already really liked someone else?"

Hana shook her head. "No, I can't say that I have. I would imagine that's a pretty tough situation to be in."

"Tough" Kiba laughed. "You're right it does sound like a tough situation to be in."

With shoulders squared, his chest out, and his nose in the air Kiba strolled up his sister.

"But the thing is…" He said brushing past her. "It's only tough if you lose."

He exited the tent and Akamaru greeted him with a broad stroke of his tongue across his partner's face.

"You ready to shred some Zetsu ass?"

"Kiba!"

Turning towards his tent Kiba saw his sister standing by the entrance with a stupid grin on her face and offering him a thumbs up.

"Don't worry your big sister supports you, follow your heart!"

"SHADDUP!" Kiba he shouted at her. _Why do I tell her anything?_

"Is it prudent to be so loud in the morning?"

Kiba's eyes cut from his sister to Shino and then Hinata beside him.

Still rubbing sleep from her eyes Hinata said, "It is a little early for a ruckus Kiba."

"Yeah well I hope you guys are ready because we've got an important march ahead of us" Kiba proclaimed.

"We're ready when you are" Hinata smiled.

"Yeah well…" He gulped loudly. "Hinata I—"

"Go for it pup!"

"What is your sister going on about?" Shino inquired.

"She's just supporting me because we're going to be on the front lines!" Kiba snapped. He turned his attention back to Hinata.

"Hinata I just want to say."

His eyes shifted from Hinata to Shino, back to his sister, Akamaru. Shino, Akamaru again then back to Hinata.

"I won't lose to Naruto!"

"Alright" Hinata said casually.

Kiba nodded to himself and then moved past his group. "Yahoo! Akamaru, let's do this march!"

"He's excited this morning."Hinata remarked to Shino. "It's been awhile since he's talked about competing with Naruto for the Hokage title."

"I'm not sure he was talking about the Hokage title" Shino shot back.

"What else would he be talking about then?"

Shino smiled knowingly. "Hmmm, I wonder."

* * *

A/N Thanks for reading folks, I hope you enjoyed it. Read and review why don'tcha.


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